Meant to bring families and community together for a night of healthy revelry to ring in the New Year, the events have suffered through bitter cold and recession. Some have fallen but many still thrive with dancing, music and art in the night air.

Wolfeboro and Portsmouth are planning First Night festivities Monday with street parades, outdoor dancing and fireworks at midnight. Burlington, St. Johnsbury and Montpelier are also having similar outdoor and indoor festivities in Vermont, with St. Johnsbury celebrating its 20th.

WOLFEBORO

Wolfeboro Buttons cost $7 through Dec. 30, then $15 the day of the event at the Wolfeboro Area Chamber of Commerce and other stores all over Wolfeboro.

They are also sold at most venues during First Night. No one is admitted to get in to a venue without a button. Children 10 and younger are free when accompanied by a button-wearing adult.

Of course you can take in both the parade and the fireworks without a pin but buying one supports the entire endeavor.

The parade is set for 5:15 p.m. and there will be two sets of fireworks, first at 5:30 and then at midnight by Atlas Fireworks of Jaffrey. Launched from Brewster Academy Field, the best viewing is at the town dock.

Not to be outdone by Times Square, midnight in Wolfeboro has its own ball drop, and a second display of fireworks.

Fabulously popular in the past, there will again be hamster races. Beginning at 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., there will be races approximately every 15 minutes at O'Brien Pet.

Check out the ice sculptures in Cate Park. They will begin to take shape after 2 p.m.

There will also be a Hot Air Balloon Making & Launch. This is a family fun project to assemble a small hot-air balloon and then at dusk, launch it into the night sky from Pinckey Boathouse on Brewster Academy Campus from 2 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Indoors at All Saints Church and Kingswood Art Center will be Celtic, doo-wop, and fiddle music beginning at 6:30 p.m.

There will be face painting and mask making in Estabrook Hall from 2:00 pm ‘til 5:00 pm. Skating is also available at Pop Whalen Ice Arena on Rte. 109A from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

PORTSMOUTH

Pro-Portsmouth is pulling out the stops on a New Year's Eve Extravaganza again, and is making it easy to go online and get your button.

There will be fireworks, ice sculpting and lots of music and dancing. Go to proportsmouth.org for all the details and be sure to print your receipt and bring it with you to pick up your button in Market Square after noon.

The deal online, until the end of Christmas Day, is just that -- a deal: Two adults and two kids under 12 for $25 and new this year, a two-fer: Two adult buttons for $20. Those two special offers end on Dec. 25.

An adult button is $15 until the end of Dec. 26 and $20 until Dec. 30. It is $25 the day of the event, Monday afternoon and evening on Dec. 31.

Children have a flat rate of $2, which does not go up.

The button is your ticket to indoor events but the outside events are all free.

On a slightly funny note, organizers note in their literature that the buttons do not get you in to parties hosted by restaurants are other private functions not associated with First Night.

Purchasing a button also helps support and finance all free open-air outdoor activities, including the fireworks and ice sculpture.

Redeem the receipt and receive your buttons on Dec. 31 at the Market Square Button Booth beginning at noon.